Today’s word walks the line between funny and cheeky. The German noun Scherz means joke, prank, or jest, and it pops up in both lighthearted conversation and formal writing — sometimes playful, sometimes ironic.
Scherz is a masculine noun, so the correct article is der — der Scherz. Not sure how to handle German noun genders confidently? Check out our quick and incredibly helpful 5-minute video lesson that gives you everything you need to know — no memorization, no nonsense.
Real conversations where Scherz might come up
You’ll hear Scherz when someone’s trying to be funny — or pretending to be. It’s a slightly more formal or dramatic way to say Witz (joke), often used when clarifying that something wasn’t serious or when calling out someone else’s joke.
– Ich heirate morgen.
– Was?! Ernsthaft?!
– Nein, war nur ein Scherz.
(“I’m getting married tomorrow.” – “What?! Seriously?!” – “No, just a joke.”)
Beginner sample dialogue
Lina: Dein Pulli ist… äh… grün wie ein Frosch!
Mika: Sehr witzig. War das ein Scherz?
Lina: Natürlich! Ich mag deinen Pulli wirklich.
(Lina: Your sweater is… um… green like a frog!
Mika: Very funny. Was that a joke?
Lina: Of course! I really do like your sweater.)
Grammar in action: How to use Scherz
Let’s go through Scherz in all four German cases:
Nominative: Der Scherz war unpassend.
(The joke was inappropriate.)Accusative: Ich habe den Scherz nicht verstanden.
(I didn’t understand the joke.)Dative: Mit einem Scherz lockerte sie die Stimmung.
(She lightened the mood with a joke.)Genitive: Die Pointe des Scherzes war ziemlich gemein.
(The punchline of the joke was rather mean.)
Want to finally understand what nominative and dative really mean — and how to get them right without overthinking? Try our super-practical German grammar course — all in English, built for learners who just want to speak and understand.
Other ways to say joke in German
The everyday word for joke is der Witz, which you’ll hear much more often in casual speech. Scherz tends to feel slightly more formal or literary, though it’s still common in speech — especially in phrases like War nur ein Scherz (“Just kidding”) or Zum Scherz (“as a joke”). For pranks or mischief, Streich or Spaß can also work, depending on tone.
Word variations and tidbits
Scherz is a cousin to the English word jest, and it comes from the same Latin root scherzare, meaning to joke or play. It shows up in:
Scherzbold – a jokester or prankster
Scherzfrage – a trick question
Spaß beiseite, das war ein Scherz – “All jokes aside, that was a joke”
You might also see Scherzartikel in stores — novelty prank items, like fake spiders or whoopee cushions. And in writing, especially in emails or texts, someone might soften a bold comment with 😉 war nur ein Scherz.
Duden entry:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Scherz
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